MAC RiRi Woo Lipstick Review, Photos, and Swatches

Hey Guys!

As many of you know, the highly anticipated MAC RiRi Woo lipstick went for sale online at 12 pm EST on May 2nd. I've never experienced a launch like that of RiRi Woo. There was a online queue that took a few minutes to wait in while your shopping cart was loaded with ONE lipstick per customer (i.e., one lipstick per order). In order to get free shipping on the Canadian website, you have to place an order of $65 +, so I've been making a list for a while so that I would have enough items I could put in my cart in order to get free shipping. I had an appointment, inconveniently, at 12, but got home around 2:30 pm and still was able to place an order for a lipstick. On the American website the lipstick sold out in 3 hours. After hearing about it selling out, I quickly placed an order for a second tube of lipstick on the Canadian website and filled my cart up with my typical $65+. Funny thing is, I received my first lipstick yesterday (which was actually my second order placed) and my first order has yet to arrive. I actually ordered the second lipstick so that I could do a giveaway, but here's hoping it comes soon so I can actually fulfil that promise. *fingers crossed* Otherwise, those who didn't get a hold of it the first time will have to wait until June until it's rereleased again.

RiRi Woo - a vivid cool red with a retro matte finish created by Rihanna.

After receiving RiRi Woo in the mail yesterday, I instagramed it right away. I'm in LOVE with the colour. I've been wanting Ruby Woo for a very long time, but put off the purchase once I heard RiRi Woo was coming out. Initially, I was under the impression that RiRi Woo was just Ruby Woo with Rihanna's signature, but in actuality, it is a reformulated Ruby Woo. I now wish I would have purchased Ruby Woo so that I could make a comparison to my RiRi, but I've heard that they are too similar to see a noticeable difference. With that being said, unless you are a die-hard fan of Rihanna, an avid MAC collector (like myself), or in need of a nice blue based red lipstick (like myself as well, since I don't own Ruby Woo), then you aren't missing out. For me, this is THE PERFECT blue based lipstick. I like this lipstick even more than Russian Red which was my once go-to blue based matte red lipstick. The colour suits my skintone perfectly, but I've seen this on pretty much every skintone, light to dark and it literally suits everyone.

What is special about this lipstick, isn't the colour, isn't even that it has Rihanna's signature embossed on the lipstick itself (though that is pretty cool), it is the formula. The formula is entirely new to MAC: Retro Matte. The retro matte formula is slightly less drying than the typical matte lipstick. I can definitely tell that this is a less drying matte as I have problems with Russian Red drying out my lips, whereas this felt considerably more comfortable to wear. This did not take away from the wear time either. It lasted a good 6-8 hours and slightly stained my lips after removal.

If you didn't get RiRi Woo this time around don't fret! It will be rereleased in June with limited edition packaging as part of the RiRi + MAC Collection.

Red MAC Lipsticks

From Left to Right (ALL BY MAC): Diva, Charmed I'm Sure (LE), Runaway Red (LE), RiRi Woo (LE), Deeply Adored (LE), Russian Red, Lady Danger, Scarlet Ibis (LE)

Overall

Pros

Longwearing
Slightly less drying than your typical matte lipstick
Vivid, opaque colour
Rihanna's signature embossed on the lipstick
Blue undertone makes your teeth look EXTRA white!

Cons

Very similar to the permanent Ruby Woo
Difficult to remove, slight lip staining
Careful when applying lipstick as it can tug on lips

Retail Price: $18 CAD (limited edition, but will rerelease in June with special packaging)